Friday of the Fourth Week of Lent - April 5, 2019

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Wisdom 2:1, 12-22   Psalm 34   John 7:1-2, 10, 25-30

This reading from the Book of Wisdom seems to be a prescription for the wicked to persecute the just person – in fact, not just to disagree or ignore him or her, but to actively torture and kill. I had to read the preceding and following verses to put this bleak picture in some sort of perspective. The preceding verse, indeed the first lines of the book, begins “Love justice, you who judge the earth, think of the Lord in goodness, and seek Him in integrity of heart” and it goes on to describe how wicked men reject immortality and justice.

The last sentences of the reading lead into the next chapter (which I read thankfully): “But the souls of the just are in the hands of God.” Even if the just are punished in this world, they will be greatly blessed because God has found them worthy. Maybe the author of this book spent so much time describing the wicked so that I might examine my conscience and lead a better life as a person of justice.

The responsorial psalm seems to me to speak to those “afflictions” that most people go through at some time in their lives – whether it is at the hands of others or “just life.”  The response, “The Lord is near to broken hearts” speaks so profoundly to me. After the death of my first husband, I felt so lost; prayer became meaningful to me in a way I had never before known. I believe that that sense of support enabled me to put one foot in front of the other and keep moving forward. The Lord is near to broken hearts.

Q: How can I keep alive that sense of trust and confidence in the power of prayer?

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